ANN ARBOR, Mich. – Headlined Jordan Rzepka and Jenna Sonnenberg earning their first career bids to the national championship meet, the Purdue divers earned seven total event berths at the NCAA Championships in the springboard action contested Tuesday at the NCAA Championships.
After placing among the top 12 on 3-meter Monday, Greg Duncan (8th) and Rzepka (T-5th) captured bids at NCAAs in both springboard events by finishing among the auto-qualifying spots on 1-meter. Tyler Downs won the 1-meter competition by 54 points to add the event to his schedule at the national championship meet.
Sonnenberg placed fourth among a field of 49 divers in the women's 3-meter competition to become the sixth Boilermaker to qualify for NCAAs this week. Purdue has an opportunity to go 10-for-10 on NCAAs qualifiers if the divers competing Wednesday on the platform perform well.
Sophie McAfee joined Downs as Boilermakers to finish to among the auto-qualifiers in both springboard events. She placed sixth on 3-meter after clinching her NCAAs bid Monday. Downs, McAfee and Rzepka only need to be top 12 on the tower Wednesday to qualify for NCAAs in all three diving events as freshmen.
Duncan posted the best score improvement (+39.7) from the prelim to the final of any Purdue student-athlete Tuesday. He qualified for the national championship meet for the fifth time in his career, including the fourth time as a Boilermaker. The Virginia native joins Casey Matthews (2009-10, 2013-14), Joe Cifelli (2016-19) and Brandon Loschiavo (2017-19, 2021) as Purdue divers to be four-year NCAAs qualifiers. Emily (Bretscher) Pfeiffer can join that group Wednesday. He had qualified on 3-meter in 2020 about an hour before the Zone C meet was shut down in conjunction with the cancellations related to the coronavirus pandemic.
Duncan's younger brother Sam, a student-athlete at Kentucky, also qualified for NCAAs with a ninth-place finish on 1-meter Tuesday.
The live scoring website DiveMeets.com incorrectly listed Sam Bennett in 12th place when the men's 1-meter final wrapped up Tuesday. After he auto-qualified for NCAAs with an eighth-place finish on 3-meter, that showing would have given the freshman another berth at the national championship meet in Atlanta. But when the scoring was corrected, a pair of divers moved up into the top five and bumped Bennett outside the necessary top 12 for the additional event bid.
Action at the Zone C Championships concludes Wednesday with both genders competing on platform. The women's event begins at 11 a.m. ET with the men to follow.
TUESDAY AT ZONE C DIVING CHAMPIONSHIPS
Men's 1-Meter
• Tyler Downs, 776.45 (379.60 Prelim, 396.85 Final) – Event Winner; NCAA Championships Qualifier
• Jordan Rzepka, 718.25 (363.60 Prelim, 354.65 Final) – Finished T-5th; NCAA Championships Qualifier
• Greg Duncan, 711.60 (335.95 Prelim, 375.65 Final) – Finished 8th; NCAA Championships Qualifier
• Sam Bennett, 601.30 (306.55 Prelim, 294.75 Final) – Finished 14th
Women's 3-Meter
• Jenna Sonnenberg, 635.80 (320.55 Prelim, 315.25 Final) – Finished 4th; NCAA Championships Qualifier
• Sophie McAfee, 617.40 (294.75 Prelim, 322.65 Final) – Finished 6th; NCAA Championships Qualifier
PURDUE'S REMAINING DAILY SCHEDULES AT ZONES
Wednesday
• Women's Platform: Emily, Maggie, Maycey, Sophie
• Men's Platform: Ben, Jordan, Tyler
AUTOMATIC QUALIFYING SPOTS TO NCAA CHAMPIONSHIPS FROM ZONE C
Top 12 in an event also qualify for NCAAs if he or she has already auto-qualified
• 1-Meter - Women: 9 // Men: 9
• 3-Meter - Women: 10 // Men: 9
• Platform - Women: 9 // Men: 11
After placing among the top 12 on 3-meter Monday, Greg Duncan (8th) and Rzepka (T-5th) captured bids at NCAAs in both springboard events by finishing among the auto-qualifying spots on 1-meter. Tyler Downs won the 1-meter competition by 54 points to add the event to his schedule at the national championship meet.
Sonnenberg placed fourth among a field of 49 divers in the women's 3-meter competition to become the sixth Boilermaker to qualify for NCAAs this week. Purdue has an opportunity to go 10-for-10 on NCAAs qualifiers if the divers competing Wednesday on the platform perform well.
Sophie McAfee joined Downs as Boilermakers to finish to among the auto-qualifiers in both springboard events. She placed sixth on 3-meter after clinching her NCAAs bid Monday. Downs, McAfee and Rzepka only need to be top 12 on the tower Wednesday to qualify for NCAAs in all three diving events as freshmen.
Duncan posted the best score improvement (+39.7) from the prelim to the final of any Purdue student-athlete Tuesday. He qualified for the national championship meet for the fifth time in his career, including the fourth time as a Boilermaker. The Virginia native joins Casey Matthews (2009-10, 2013-14), Joe Cifelli (2016-19) and Brandon Loschiavo (2017-19, 2021) as Purdue divers to be four-year NCAAs qualifiers. Emily (Bretscher) Pfeiffer can join that group Wednesday. He had qualified on 3-meter in 2020 about an hour before the Zone C meet was shut down in conjunction with the cancellations related to the coronavirus pandemic.
Duncan's younger brother Sam, a student-athlete at Kentucky, also qualified for NCAAs with a ninth-place finish on 1-meter Tuesday.
The live scoring website DiveMeets.com incorrectly listed Sam Bennett in 12th place when the men's 1-meter final wrapped up Tuesday. After he auto-qualified for NCAAs with an eighth-place finish on 3-meter, that showing would have given the freshman another berth at the national championship meet in Atlanta. But when the scoring was corrected, a pair of divers moved up into the top five and bumped Bennett outside the necessary top 12 for the additional event bid.
Action at the Zone C Championships concludes Wednesday with both genders competing on platform. The women's event begins at 11 a.m. ET with the men to follow.
TUESDAY AT ZONE C DIVING CHAMPIONSHIPS
Men's 1-Meter
• Tyler Downs, 776.45 (379.60 Prelim, 396.85 Final) – Event Winner; NCAA Championships Qualifier
• Jordan Rzepka, 718.25 (363.60 Prelim, 354.65 Final) – Finished T-5th; NCAA Championships Qualifier
• Greg Duncan, 711.60 (335.95 Prelim, 375.65 Final) – Finished 8th; NCAA Championships Qualifier
• Sam Bennett, 601.30 (306.55 Prelim, 294.75 Final) – Finished 14th
Women's 3-Meter
• Jenna Sonnenberg, 635.80 (320.55 Prelim, 315.25 Final) – Finished 4th; NCAA Championships Qualifier
• Sophie McAfee, 617.40 (294.75 Prelim, 322.65 Final) – Finished 6th; NCAA Championships Qualifier
PURDUE'S REMAINING DAILY SCHEDULES AT ZONES
Wednesday
• Women's Platform: Emily, Maggie, Maycey, Sophie
• Men's Platform: Ben, Jordan, Tyler
AUTOMATIC QUALIFYING SPOTS TO NCAA CHAMPIONSHIPS FROM ZONE C
Top 12 in an event also qualify for NCAAs if he or she has already auto-qualified
• 1-Meter - Women: 9 // Men: 9
• 3-Meter - Women: 10 // Men: 9
• Platform - Women: 9 // Men: 11